Thermo-mechanical reforming method and system and mechanical reforming tool

ABSTRACT

A reformable area and a non-reformable area of a sheet of glass material are heated to a first temperature corresponding to a first viscosity. The reformable area is subsequently locally heated to a second temperature corresponding to a second viscosity, where the second viscosity is lower than the first viscosity. A bend is formed in the reformable area during the local heating of the reformable area by contacting a first pusher with the non-reformable area and translating the first pusher along a linear path to apply a pushing force to the non-reformable area that results in the bend in the reformable area or by contacting a second pusher with an edge area of the reformable area and rotating the pusher along a circular path to apply a pushing force to the edge area of the reformable area that results in the bend in the reformable area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 ofU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/546,687 filed on Oct. 13, 2011,the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to thermal reforming of flat(two-dimensional) glass sheets into shaped (three-dimensional) glassarticles.

BACKGROUND

Numerous industrial activities exist in the field of reforming flatglass sheets. Currently, these activities are mostly for making shapedglass articles for automotive applications, e.g., windshields and sidewindows, and architectural applications, e.g., curved glass forarchitectural and commercial non-electronic displays. Reformingprocesses for these applications are typically characterized by limitedglass deformation, curvatures with large radii (usually greater than 50mm), and large glass sheet thicknesses (usually greater than 1.5 mm).

Reforming processes based on gravity sagging are known in the currentart. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,746 B1, “Glass plate bending methodand apparatus,” 5 Jun. 2001 [1]. In gravity sagging, the glass sheet ispositioned on a ring or skeleton that supports the periphery of theglass sheet. The system is then heated to a temperature close to thesoftening point of the glass. Under gravity, the glass sags, eventuallyassuming the desired shape. Differential heating of some regions of theglass sheet can be used to obtain some final shapes that cannot bereached solely by isothermal gravity sagging. For some special shapes,more advanced techniques have been developed that are based onarticulated skeletons (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,980 A, “Method andapparatus for forming bent plate glass,” 1 Sep. 1981 [2] and U.S. Pat.No. 5,167,689, “Process for bending glass sheets,” 1 Dec. 1992 [3]). Theidea is to have the skeleton articulated so that at some point duringthe gravity sagging process the outer shape of the supporting frame ismodified to eventually obtain a more complex design, for example, asmaller local radius of curvature.

Reforming processes based on press bending are known in the art. See,e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,040, “Method for forming glass sheets” [4] andWO 2004 087590 A2, “Method for crowning sheets of glass by pressing andsuction,” 14 Oct. 2004 [5]. In press bending, the glass sheet is shapedby contact with a central male mold, with an external female moldpressing the periphery of the glass to the central male mold. Thisprocess has the ability to obtain curvatures with relatively smallradii, e.g., as small as 10 mm (see, ref. [5] above), and relativelycomplex shapes.

Nowadays, interest is growing in high-quality, thin-walled, shaped glassarticles, and in particular shaped glass articles having a combinationof flat area(s) and bent area(s), the bent area(s) typically havinghighly curved shapes. These complex shaped glass articles are desiredfor use as glass covers or doors or windows in portable electronicdevices, such as tablets and smart phones, and larger smart appliances,such as television sets and refrigerators. These newer applicationsgenerally have the following requirements for shaped glass articles:curvatures with small radii, e.g., less than 20 mm, in the bent area(s),almost perfect flatness and optical quality in the flat area(s), bentarea(s) that may be located very close to the outermost edge of theglass, and bend angle that can be greater than 90 degrees. Theserequirements are difficult to achieve using reforming processes such asdescribed above.

SUMMARY

A thermo-mechanical reforming method according to one aspect of thepresent invention includes heating a reformable area and anon-reformable area of a sheet of glass material to a first temperaturecorresponding to a first viscosity (step (a)). The reformable area issubsequently locally heated to a second temperature corresponding to asecond viscosity, where the second viscosity is lower than the firstviscosity (step (b)). A predetermined bend is formed in the reformablearea during step (b) using a first forming method or a second formingmethod (step (c)). The first forming method includes contacting a firstpusher with the non-reformable area and translating the first pusheralong a linear path to apply a pushing force to the non-reformable areathat results in the predetermined bend in the reformable area (step(c1)). The second forming method includes contacting a second pusherwith an edge area of the reformable area and rotating the second pusheralong a circular path to apply a pushing force to the edge area of thereformable area that results in the predetermined bend in the reformablearea (step (c2)).

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(c1) is used in step (c), contacting the first pusher with thenon-reformable area during step (c1) includes contacting a curvedsurface of the first pusher with the non-reformable area.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(c2) is used in step (c), contacting the second pusher with the edgearea of the reformable area during step (c2) includes contacting theedge area of the reformable area with a flat surface of the secondpusher.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, during step(b), the reformable area is allowed to sag by gravity into an initialbend having an initial bend angle (step (d)).

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(c1) is used in step (c), step (d) precedes step (c1), the initial bendis formed into the predetermined bend during step (c1), and thepredetermined bend has a final bend angle larger than the initial bendangle at the end of step (c).

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(d) precedes step (c1), step (c1) starts when the initial bend angle isin a range from 70 to 90 degrees.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, after thepredetermined bend has been formed in step (c), the temperature in thereformable area is allowed to drop to a temperature between the firsttemperature and the second temperature (step (e)). During step (e), thefirst pusher is held in contact with the non-reformable area (where step(c1) was used in step (c)) or second pusher is held in contact with theedge area of the reformable area (where step (c2) was used in step (c)).

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, step (c)starts when the reformable area is at a third temperature correspondingto a third viscosity that is at least an order of magnitude lower thanthe first viscosity, where the third temperature is between the firsttemperature and the second temperature.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, at the endof step (c), the predetermined bend has a final bend radius less than 20mm.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, at the endof step (c), the predetermined bend has a final bend angle greater than60 degrees.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(c1) is used in step (c), the predetermined bend has a final bend anglegreater than 90 degrees at the end of the step (c1).

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, where step(c2) is used in step (c), the predetermined bend is formed within 20 mmof an outermost edge of the sheet of glass material.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, the sheetof glass material heated in step (a) is provided with a thickness in arange from 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm.

In one embodiment of the thermo-mechanical reforming method, the sheetof glass material heated in step (a) is provided with a coefficient ofthermal expansion greater than 5 ppm/K.

A mechanical reforming tool according to another aspect of the presentinvention includes a pusher member having a contact surface forcontacting a sheet of material, a linear-to-rotary motion guide coupledto the pusher member, and an actuator coupled to the linear-to-rotarymotion guide. The linear-to-rotary motion guide is configured to receivea linear motion, convert the linear motion to a rotary motion, andimpart the rotary motion to the pusher member. The actuator isconfigured to provide the linear motion to the linear-to-rotary motionguide.

In one embodiment of the mechanical reforming tool, the linear-to-rotarymotion guide comprises a pair of spaced-apart pivotable members, whichare coupled to opposing ends of the pusher member. The spacing betweenthe pivotable members is wide enough to receive an edge of the sheet ofmaterial.

In one embodiment of the mechanical reforming tool, the actuator has amovable arm coupled to the pivotable members. The movable arm isconfigured to transfer the linear motion from the actuator to thepivotable members.

In one embodiment of the mechanical reforming tool, the linear-to-rotarymotion guide further comprises stop members for limiting pivoting of thepivotable members.

In one embodiment of the mechanical reforming tool, the contact surfaceof the pusher member is substantially flat.

A thermo-mechanical reforming system according to another aspect of thepresent invention includes one or more heaters, a pusher member, alinear-to-rotary motion guide, and an actuator. The one or more heatersare for selectively heating areas of a sheet of glass material. Thepusher member has a contact surface for contacting the sheet of glassmaterial in a selected area. The linear-to-rotary motion guide iscoupled to the pusher member and is configured to receive a linearmotion, convert the linear motion to a rotary motion, and impart therotary motion to the pusher member. The actuator is coupled to thelinear-to-rotary motion guide and is configured to provide the linearmotion to the linear-to-rotary motion guide.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary of the presentinvention and are intended to provide an overview or framework forunderstanding the nature and character of the invention as it isclaimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the present invention and are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate variousembodiments of the present invention and together with the descriptionserve to explain the principles and operation of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a description of the figures in the accompanyingdrawings. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain featuresand certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or inschematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 a shows a sheet of glass material having an inwardly-locatedreformable area.

FIG. 1 b shows a sheet of glass material having an edge-locatedreformable area.

FIG. 2 a shows a sheet of glass material on a support.

FIG. 2 b shows heaters directing heat to reformable and non-reformableareas of a sheet of glass material.

FIG. 2 c shows heaters directing heating to a reformable area of a sheetof glass material.

FIG. 3 shows temperature evolution in a reformable area of a sheet ofglass material during a process for reforming the sheet of glassmaterial.

FIG. 4 a shows a mechanical reforming tool for forming a bend in aninwardly-located reformable area.

FIG. 4 b shows a pusher of a mechanical reforming tool in contact with anon-reformable area of a sheet of glass material.

FIG. 4 c shows a pusher of a mechanical reforming tool applying apushing force to a non-reformable area of a sheet of glass material.

FIG. 4 d shows an actuator of a mechanical reforming tool mounted on arotary stage.

FIG. 5 a shows a mechanical reforming tool for forming a bend in anedge-located reformable area.

FIG. 5 b shows a pusher of a mechanical reforming tool in contact withan edge area of a reformable area of a sheet of glass material.

FIG. 5 c shows a pusher of a mechanical reforming tool applying apushing force to an edge area of a reformable area of a sheet of glassmaterial.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details may beset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments ofthe present invention. However, it will be clear to one skilled in theart when embodiments of the present invention may be practiced withoutsome or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-knownfeatures or processes may not be described in detail so as not tounnecessarily obscure the invention. In addition, like or identicalreference numerals may be used to identify common or similar elements.

Herein, a thermo-mechanical method for reforming a sheet of glassmaterial into a shaped article having flat and bent areas is disclosed.In one embodiment, the glass material is glass. In another embodiment,the glass material is glass-ceramic. In one embodiment, the sheet ofglass material is thin, e.g., having a thickness in a range from 0.3 mmto 1.5 mm. In one embodiment, the sheet of glass material has acoefficient of thermal expansion greater than 5 ppm/K. An example of asuitable glass for use as the glass material is GORILLA® glass, which isavailable from Corning Incorporated, New York. In some embodiments, itis desired that the suitable glass is an ion-exchangeable glass, wherethe structure of the ion-exchangeable glass contains small alkali metalor alkaline earth metal ions that can be exchanged for larger alkalimetal or alkaline earth metal ions.

The sheet of glass material provided is a flat sheet of glass material.Such a flat sheet may be produced using any suitable method forproducing flat sheets of glass material, such as overflow fusiondowndraw process or a float process. The sheet of glass material has atleast one reformable area and at least one non-reformable area. Here,the term “non-reformable area” does not mean that the area cannot bereformed, but that the area will not be or is not reformed. The glassmaterial composition of the reformable area(s) will typically be thesame as that of the non-reformable area(s). However, it is also possiblethat there could be differences in the glass material composition of thereformable area(s) and non-reformable area(s), e.g., if it is desiredthat the reformable area(s) or non-reformable area(s) should havespecial properties. In general, the reformable area(s) will becontiguous with the non-reformable area(s), with each reformable areahaving at least one non-reformable area as a neighbor. The number andlocation of reformable and non-reformable areas on the sheet of glassmaterial will depend on the desired final shape of the shaped article.

For illustration purposes, FIG. 1 a shows an example of a sheet of glassmaterial 100 having a reformable area 102 and non-reformable areas 104,106. FIG. 1 b shows an example of a sheet of glass material 100 a havinga reformable area 102 a and non-reformable area 106 a. The reformablearea 102 of FIG. 1 a is inwardly-located relative to the edge 101 of thesheet of glass material 100. On the other hand, the reformable area ofFIG. 1 b is edge-located relative to the edge 101 a of the sheet ofglass material 100 a. As will be shown later, the location of thereformable areas 102, 102 a on the sheets of glass material 100, 100 a,respectively, would have a bearing on how the reformable areas aremechanically reformed.

Initially, since the sheet of glass material (e.g., 100 in FIG. 1 a, 100a in FIG. 1 b) is flat, the reformable area(s) (e.g., 102 in FIG. 1 a,102 a in FIG. 1 b) and non-reformable area(s) (e.g., 104, 106 in FIG. 1a, 106 a in FIG. 1 b) will also be flat. Later on, the reformablearea(s) will be formed into a three-dimensional shape and will no longerbe flat, but the non-reformable area(s) will remain flat. Typically, thethree-dimensional shape will include at least one bend having apredetermined radius of curvature. The predetermined radius of curvaturewill depend on the desired final shape of the shaped article. In oneembodiment, a small radius of curvature, e.g., less than 20 mm, isformed in a reformable area. In one embodiment, the final bend angleformed in a reformable area is greater than 60 degrees. In anotherembodiment, the final bend angle formed in a reformable area is greaterthan 90 degrees. In one embodiment, the reformable area is edge-locatedand the bend formed in the edge-located reformable area is very close toan edge of the sheet of glass material containing the edge-locatedreformable area, e.g., within 20 mm of the edge of the sheet of glassmaterial.

To make the shaped article, the sheet of glass material, such as shownin FIG. 1 a or 1 b, is placed on a support. The placing is such that aportion of the sheet of glass material that includes the reformable areaoverhangs the support. For illustration purposes, FIG. 2 a shows thesheet of glass material 100 on a support 200. In one embodiment, thesupport 200 has a planar support surface 202 for supporting the sheet ofglass material 100. The sheet of glass material 100 is placed on thesupport surface 202 such that the reformable area 102 and non-reformablearea 104 overhang the support 200. The non-reformable area 104 isoutboard of the reformable area 102 and edge-located on the sheet ofmaterial 100, which makes the non-reformable area 104 suitable formechanical contact to form a bend in the reformable area 102. Thesupport surface 202 that comes into contact with the glass material ispreferably made of or coated or plated with a high temperature material.Examples of such high temperature materials include ceramics,glass-ceramics, refractory alloys, and superalloys such as INCONEL 600and INCONEL 718.

A stopper 204 may be placed adjacent to or integrated with the support200. The stopper 204 has a stopper surface 206 that is in opposingrelation to the reformable area 102. However, the stopper surface 206 isoffset a distance from the support surface 202 so that there is room forthe reformable area 102 to bend downwardly when heated to a reformingtemperature. In this embodiment, the stopper surface edge 208 canfunction to limit the extent of the bend. The stopper 204 may be made ofthe same material as the support 200. The stopper surface 206 or stoppersurface edge 208 that may come into contact with the non-reformable area104 or reformable area 102 may be made of or coated or plated with ahigh temperature material as described above for the support surface202.

FIG. 3 shows a typical process sequence for making the shaped articlefrom the sheet of glass material 100. Line 300 shows the temperatureevolution in the reformable area 102 during the reforming process, andline 302 shows when mechanical reforming is on or off during thereforming process. Before time t₀, the reformable area 102 (in FIG. 2 b)and non-reformable areas 104, 106 (in FIG. 2 b) of the sheet of glassmaterial 100 (in FIG. 2 b), i.e., the entire sheet of glass material100, are heated to a temperature T₀. FIG. 2 b shows heaters 210directing heat to the entire sheet of glass material 100. The heaters210 may be any heaters capable of delivering heat controllably to thesheet of glass material 100, such as gas burners, resistive-typefilaments, and plasma torches.

In FIG. 3, a numerical value or range of values has not been specifiedfor temperature T₀. This is because the value of the temperature T₀ willdepend on the composition of the sheet of glass material 100 (in FIG. 2b). However, one of skill in the art will know how to select thetemperature T₀ based on the following additional description of thetemperature T₀. Preferably, temperature T₀ is low enough to avoiddeformation of or optical quality defects in the sheet of glass material100 but high enough to avoid breakage of the sheet of glass material 100due to dilatation mismatch when the reformable area 102 is subsequentlyheated locally. In one embodiment, the viscosity of the glass materialat temperature T₀ is greater than 6×10⁹ Poise. In another embodiment,the viscosity of the glass material at temperature T₀ is greater than6×10⁹ Poise but not greater than 10¹² Poise.

From time t₀ to time t₁ to time t₂, the reformable area 102 (in FIG. 2c) is locally heated, and the temperature of the reformable area 102goes from temperature T₀ at time t₀ to temperature T₁ at time t₁ totemperature T₂ at time t₂, where T₀<T₁<T₂. From time t₂ to time t₃,local heating of the reformable area 102 is turned off, and thetemperature of the reformable area 102 drops from temperature T₂ at timet₂ to a temperature between T₀ and T₂ at time t₃. This temperaturebetween T₀ and T₂ at time t₃ may be at or near temperature T₁.

For any time t between time t₀ and time t₂, the temperature in thenon-reformable areas 104, 106 (in FIG. 2 c) is lower than thetemperature in the reformable area 102. Preferably, from time t₀ to timet₂, the average temperature in the non-reformable areas 104, 106 isapproximately equal to or near temperature T₀. For example, the averagetemperature could be within T₀ +/−15° C. This may mean that thenon-reformable areas 104, 106 are not heated or that the non-reformableareas 104, 106 are locally heated to maintain their temperatures at ornear temperature T₀. Beyond time t₂, the temperature of the reformablearea 102 (in FIG. 2 c) starts to drop and will eventually converge withthat of the non-reformable areas 104, 106, e.g., at temperature T₀.

FIG. 2 c shows a heater 212 (a plurality of heaters could be used ifneeded) directing heat to the reformable area 102 from time t₀ to timet₂ (in FIG. 3). Preferably, the heaters 212 are configured to providefocused heating to the reformable area 102 so that the desireddifferentiation in temperatures between the reformable area 102 and thenon-reformable areas 104, 106 from time t0 to time t₂, as describedabove, can be maintained. This differentiation in temperatures betweenthe reformable and non-reformable areas, and therefore differentiationin glass material viscosities between the reformable and non-reformableareas, is used to limit any deformation of the glass material to thereformable area 102. As examples, such focused heating may be convectiveheating provided by a gas burner with a nozzle for focusing the heatfrom the gas burner or radiative heating provided by a resistive heaterwith optical element(s), such as a high-temperature elliptical mirror,for focusing the heat from the resistive heater. Other focused heatingarrangements besides those mentioned above may also be used.

Reforming of the reformable area 102 takes place from time t₀ to time t₃(in FIG. 3). From time t₀ to time t₁ (in FIG. 3), reforming of thereformable area 102 is solely due to thermal influence. During thisperiod, the reformable area 102 may begin to sag due to gravity. At timet₁, when the reformable area 102 is at temperature T₁, mechanicalinfluence is added to the reforming of the reformable area 102. For thesheet of material 100 having the inwardly-located reformable area 102,mechanical reforming involves contacting a pusher with thenon-reformable area 104 and pushing on the non-reformable area 104 inorder to produce a predetermined bend in the reformable area 102. If abend had already been formed in the reformable area 102 due to sagging,the mechanical reforming will increase the bend angle to thepredetermined or desired bend angle. With this mechanical reforming,which will be further described below, quite large bend angles, such asbend angles greater than 90 degrees, can be achieved. A differentstrategy is used for mechanical reforming when the reformable area isedge-located. This different strategy will also be described below.

In FIG. 3, a numerical value or range of values has not been specifiedfor temperature T₁ because temperature T₁ will depend on the compositionof the glass material and whether any substantial sagging of the glassin the reformable area 102 (in FIG. 2 c) is desired before mechanicalreforming. However, one of skill in the art will be able to determinetemperature T₁ based on the following additional description oftemperature T₁. Temperature T₁ is high enough to allow deformation ofthe reformable area 102. The viscosity of the glass material attemperature T₁ is at least one order of magnitude (i.e., at least 10times) lower than the viscosity of the glass material at temperature T₀.This restricts deformation of the glass material substantially to thereformable area 102, if the non-reformable areas 104, 106 (in FIG. 2 c)are kept at or near the temperature T₀. In one embodiment, the viscosityof the glass material at temperature T₁ is not greater than 10⁹ Poise.In another embodiment, the viscosity of the glass material is in a rangefrom 10⁸ Poise to 10⁹ Poise. In another embodiment, the temperature T₁is in a forming temperature range of the glass material. In anotherembodiment, the temperature T₁ is between the softening point and theannealing point of the glass material. In another embodiment, thetemperature T₁ is at least 10° C. below the softening point of the glassmaterial.

From time t₂ to time t₃, local heating of the reformable area 102 (inFIG. 2 c) is turned off, and the temperature of the reformable area 102is allowed to drop from temperature T₂ to temperature T₁ (or neartemperature T₁). (Temperature T₂ has the same properties as describedabove for temperature T₁, except that temperature T₂ is greater thantemperature T₁.) Mechanical reforming continues from time t₂ to time t₃,even while local heating has been turned off. However, this portion ofthe mechanical reforming involves holding the non-reformable area 104rather than pushing on the non-reformable area 104. During this holding,the bend formed in the reformable area 102 is reinforced. Beyond timet₃, the temperature of the reformable area 102 is allowed to drop downto temperature T₀ or to the same temperature as the non-reformable areas104, 106.

Beyond time t₃, the sheet of glass material with the predetermined bendin the reformable area 102 may be described as a shaped article. Theshaped article can be allowed to cool down further to a temperaturebelow temperature T₀. The shaped article may be allowed to cool downfurther to a temperature at which the viscosity of the glass material isapproximately 10¹³ Poise or greater. After this cooling down, variousprocesses may be applied to the shaped article. For example, the shapedarticle may be annealed. The edge(s) of the shaped article may befinished, trimmed, or contoured, to achieve a final size or shape. Theshaped article may be subjected to an ion-exchange process forstrengthening. An anti-smudge coating may be applied on a surface of theshaped article.

FIG. 4 a shows a mechanical reforming tool 400 for mechanicallyreforming an inwardly-located reformable area of a sheet of glassmaterial, such as reformable area 102 in FIG. 1 a. The mechanicalreforming tool 400 includes a curved-contact pusher 402. In oneembodiment, the curved-contact pusher 402 has an elongated pusher body404 with a curved surface 405 for contacting a sheet of glass material.In one embodiment, the curved surface 405 is convex. The curved surface405 is made of or plated with a material that would not stick to theglass material at reforming temperatures. This may be the same types ofhigh temperature materials described above for the support 200 (in FIG.2 a).

The mechanical reforming tool 400 includes an actuator 408 having amovable arm 410. Prongs 412, 414 couple the movable arm 410 to opposingsides of the elongated pusher body 404. The joints between the prongs412, 414 and the elongated pusher body 404 may be fixed or rotatable.The actuator 408 can be controlled to extend the pusher 402 to contact asurface of the sheet of glass material and then apply a force to thesurface of the sheet of glass material. This force can be used to form abend in a reformable area of the sheet of glass material. In oneembodiment, the actuator 408 is a linear actuator so that the pusher 402travels along a linear path during the previously mentioned extension ofthe pusher 402. The actuator 408 and movable arm 410 constitute a linearforce control system and can be implemented in a variety of ways. Forexample, the actuator 408 and movable arm 410 could be a pneumaticcylinder.

FIGS. 4 b and 4 c show how the mechanical reforming tool 400 is used toform a bend in the reformable area 102. In one embodiment, at time t₁(in FIG. 3), the reformable area 102 has already sagged down due togravity, and an initial bend 120 has already been formed in thereformable area 102 due to the sagging. In one embodiment, this initialbend 120 may have an initial bend angle 122 in a range from about 70degrees to about 90 degrees. Mechanical reforming starts at or aftertime t₁ by bringing the pusher 402 into opposing relation to thenon-reformable area 104 and then in contact with the non-reformable area104. Additional extension of the actuator movable arm 410 along a linearpath maintains contact between the pusher contact surface 405 and thenon-reformable area 104 and applies a pushing force to thenon-reformable area 104. As the pushing force is applied to thenon-reformable area 104, the bend angle in the reformable area 102increases.

FIG. 4 c shows that the actuator 408 advances the pusher 402 against thenon-reformable area 104 along a linear path until a predetermined bendangle 124 has been formed in the reformable area 102. Time t₂ (in FIG.3) is selected to coincide with when the predetermined bend angle 124would be formed in the reformable area 102. At time t₂, the actuator 408stops advancing the pusher 402 against the non-reformable area 104,e.g., by stopping further extension or driving of the movable arm 410.From time t₂ to time t₃ (in FIG. 3), the actuator 408 holds the pusher402 in contact with the non-reformable area 104, thereby applying aresisting force to the non-reformable area 104. This resisting forcedoes not result in additional bending in the reformable area 102.Simultaneously, heating of the reformable area 102 is turned off. Bytime t₃, the reformable area 102 has cooled down enough to hold thepredetermined bend angle 124. At time t₃, the actuator 408 removes thepusher 402 from contact with the non-reformable area 104, e.g., byretracting the movable arm 410.

The mechanical reforming tool 400 described above can also be used toform a bend in the reformable area 102 when there is no initial bend oronly a small bend in the reformable area 102 at time t₁ (in FIG. 3).However, to form a large bend angle in this instance, it may benecessary to reposition the actuator 408 at some point during advancingof the pusher 402 against the non-reformable area 104 so that brushingof the movable arm 410, or other parts of the actuator 408, with thesheet of material 100 is avoided. In one example, such repositioning maybe achieved automatically by mounting the actuator 408 on a rotary stage(e.g., 420 in FIG. 4 d) so that the actuator 408 travels along a curvedpath as needed during time t₁ to t₃ (in FIG. 3). At each position of theactuator 408 along the curved path, the motion the actuator 408 providesto the pusher 402 through the movable arm 410 would still be along alinear path.

FIG. 5 a shows another mechanical reforming tool 500 for mechanicallyreforming a sheet of glass material. The mechanical reforming tool 500includes a flat-contact pusher 502, an actuator 504, and alinear-to-rotary motion guide 506 that takes linear motion from theactuator 504 and converts it into rotary motion for the flat-contactpusher 502, enabling the flat-contact pusher 502 to travel along acircular path to impart a bend to the sheet of glass material in thereformable area.

In one embodiment, the flat-contact pusher 502 has an elongated body 505with a flat bottom surface 505 a (better seen in FIG. 5 b) forcontacting the sheet of glass material. In general, the flat bottomsurface 505 a should be narrow such that contact with the sheet of glassmaterial is minimized. The leading edge 505 b and trailing edge 505 c ofthe elongated body 505 may each have a round shape, as shown, or mayeach have a different shape, e.g., a flat or beveled shape. The topsurface 505 d of the elongated body 505 may have a flat shape, as shown,or may have a different shape, e.g., a curved or beveled shape. Inalternate embodiments, the mechanical reforming tool 500 may include anon-flat-contact pusher in lieu of the flat-contact pusher 502. Forexample, a curved-contact pusher, such as shown at 402 in FIG. 4 a, maybe used in place of the flat-contact pusher 502.

The linear-to-rotary motion guide 506 has supports 510, 512, which arespaced apart a sufficient distance to allow the edge of a sheet of glassmaterial to be received between them. The guide 506 has angled brackets514, 516. Corners 518, 520 of the angled brackets are coupled to thesupports 510, 512 by pivoting joints 522, 524. Legs 526, 528 of theangled brackets 514, 516 are firmly attached to the ends 530, 532 of theelongated body 505, e.g., by fitting the elongated body ends 530, 532into slots in the legs 526, 528. The support is such that in the neutralposition of the angled brackets 514, 516, the flat bottom surface 505 aof the pusher 502 is parallel to the bases 534, 536 of the supports 510,512.

The actuator 504 has a movable arm 538, which is firmly attached to ayoke 544. Prongs 546, 548 of the yoke 544 are coupled to the legs 540,542 via pivoting joints (only pivoting joint 548 is visible in thedrawing (FIG. 5 b)). Linear motion of the movable arm 538 in a directiontowards the supports 510, 512 moves the angled brackets 514, 516 along acircular path, with the center of rotation of the angled brackets 514,516 at the pivoting points 522, 524. Since the pusher 502 is coupled tothe angled brackets 514, 516, the pusher 502 moves in a circular pathwith the angled brackets 514, 516. The movable arm 538 can continue tomove linearly to result in motion of the pusher 502 along the circularpath.

FIG. 5 b shows how the mechanical reforming tool 500 is used to form abend in an edge-located reformable area of a sheet of glass material,such as reformable area 102 a in FIG. 1 b. The sheet of glass material100 a is heated to temperature T₀ (in FIG. 3) using a setup similar tothe one shown in FIG. 2 b for the sheet of glass material 100. At timet₀ (in FIG. 3), local heating of the reformable area 102 a of the sheetof glass material 100 a starts, e.g., using the heater 212. At time t₁(in FIG. 3), the pusher 502 is advanced towards the sheet of glassmaterial 100 a until the flat bottom surface 505 a makes contact with anedge area 102 a 1 of the reformable area 102 a. The edge area 102 a 1where the flat surface 505 a contacts the reformable area 102 a can beminimized and later machined off. With the pusher 502 in contact withedge area 102 a 1 of the reformable area 102, the actuator 504translates or pushes the movable arm 538 in a direction towards thesupports 510, 512, along a linear path. As shown in FIG. 5 c, thisrotates the angled brackets 516, 514 (in FIG. 5 a) about the pivotjoints 524, 522 (in FIG. 5 a). Since the pusher 502 is attached to theangled brackets 514, 516, the pusher 502 also rotates, pushing down onthe edge area 102 a 1 of the reformable area 102 a and causing a bend tobe formed in the reformable area 102 a. The bend angle increases as themovable arm 538 further advances towards the supports 512, 510 (in FIG.5 a). The movable arm 538 may advance until the angled brackets 514, 516reach the stop surfaces 554 (552 in FIG. 5 a). In this embodiment, thebend can be formed very close to an outermost edge of the sheet of glassmaterial 100 a coinciding with the reformable area 102 a, e.g., within20 mm of the outermost edge (which is shown as 101 a in FIG. 1 b).

Rotation of the pusher 502 occurs from time t₁ to time t₂ (in FIG. 3).At or shortly after time t₂, rotation of the pusher 502 and localheating of the reformable area 102 a are stopped. From time t₂ to timet₃, contact between the flat bottom surface 505 of the pusher 502 andthe edge of the reformable area 102 a is maintained so that the bendformed in the reformable 102 a via the pusher 502 is reinforced.However, the pusher 502 is not rotated during this time so thatadditional bending does not occur. After time t₃, the contact betweenthe pusher 502 and the edge of the reformable area 102 a is released orremoved. This may be achieved by retracting the movable arm 538 so thatthe pusher 502 rotates back to its neutral position.

The mechanical reforming tool 500, with some modifications, may also beused to form a bend in an inwardly-located reformable area where aninitial bend has not been formed in the reformable area or where only asmall bend has been formed in the reformable area. One modification maybe to replace the flat-contact pusher 502 with a curved-contact pusher,such as pusher 402 in FIG. 4 a. Then, the range of motion of the angledbrackets 514, 516 can be increased by relocating and resizing the stopsurfaces 552, 554. In use, the curved surface of the curved-contactpusher would be brought into contact with the non-reformable area of thesheet of glass material and swinging of the angled brackets would movethe curved-contact pusher along a circular path, while thecurved-contact pusher is in contact with the non-reformable area,thereby creating a bend in the reformable area.

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A mechanical reforming tool, comprising: a pusher member having a contact surface for contacting a sheet of material; a linear-to-rotary motion guide coupled to the pusher member, the linear-to-rotary motion guide being configured to receive a linear motion, convert the linear motion to a rotary motion, and impart the rotary motion to the pusher member; and an actuator coupled to the linear-to-rotary motion guide, the actuator being configured to provide the linear motion to the linear-to-rotary motion guide.
 16. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 15, wherein the linear-to-rotary motion guide comprises a pair of spaced-apart pivotable members, the pivotable members being coupled to opposing ends of the pusher member, the spacing between the pivotable members being wide enough to receive an edge of the sheet of material.
 17. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 16, wherein the actuator has a movable arm coupled to the pivotable members, the movable arm being configured to transfer the linear motion from the actuator to the pivotable members.
 18. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 17, wherein the linear-to-rotary motion guide further comprises stop members for limiting pivoting of the pivotable members.
 19. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 15, wherein the contact surface of the pusher member is substantially flat.
 20. A thermo-mechanical reforming system, comprising: one or more heaters for selectively heating areas of a sheet of glass material; a pusher member having a contact surface for contacting the sheet of glass material in a selected area; a linear-to-rotary motion guide coupled to the pusher member, the linear-to-rotary motion guide being configured to receive a linear motion, convert the linear motion to a rotary motion, and impart the rotary motion to the pusher member; and an actuator coupled to the linear-to-rotary motion guide, the actuator being configured to provide the linear motion to the linear-to-rotary motion guide.
 21. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 15, wherein the actuator is configured to be repositioned along a curved path while providing the linear motion to the linear-to-rotary motion guide.
 22. The mechanical reforming tool of claim 15, wherein the linear-to-rotary motion guide further comprises a pair of angled brackets coupled to the pusher. 